Minestrone

May 27, 2009

I made minestrone for lunch, using a very easy recipe right from the package of my “Better than Bouillon” vegetable base. Easy is good. It wasn’t very brothy though. Is minestrone supposed to be brothy?

Topped with freshly grated Parmesan.

*As a side note, why do my canned kidney beans have high fructose corn syrup in them? I know canned foods are often salty, which is why I opted for the low sodium kind, only to realize it had h.f.c.s. in it. Hopefully rinsing the beans helps get rid of some of that junk…

Italian has three words that correspond to English “soup” — zuppa, or a light broth or consomme that doesn’t contain an abundance of ingredients; minestra, which may mean a vegetable soup or a “dry” soup; and minestrone, which traditionally means a hearty, substantial soup. Minestrone can be as thick as porridge or stew OR it can be light and brothy, but with a multitude of vegetables (and occasionally, meat).